Gregory J. Ward, MSc

The virtual worlds in computer games provide a realistic backdrop to the
action. But step too close and the effect is lost  you’ll see that
textures and patterns are usually displayed on flat surfaces that look
dull and artificial.

A simpler way to add depth to textured surfaces could change that.

The new technique can reconstruct the depth of a surface simply by
taking two photos of it  one with a flash and one without
(see video).
Merely analyzing the resulting shading patterns can capture the
surface’s 3D texture.

Glencross and the Manchester team worked with Gregory Ward at Dolby
Canada in Vancouver to develop their quick and cheap alternative.

At the heart of the technique is the assumption that the brightness of a
pixel in the image is related to its depth in the real scene. Parts of
the surface deep in a crack or pit receive light from a restricted area
of the sky, and appear relatively dark.

Glencross and Ward presented their results at the SIGGRAPH conference in
Los Angeles last week.

Gregory J. Ward, MSc is a pioneer in realistic computer graphics,
with a passion
for rendering the world as we experience it. His work in lighting
simulation has been at the forefront of research for over two
decades, earning him the ACM SIGGRAPH Graphics Achievement Award in
2007.

As part of his Radiance rendering system, Greg
introduced the
notion of high dynamic range imaging, which has revolutionized the
special effects and computer game industries. His Photosphere
application enables HDR capture for measuring the lighting of real
spaces, embracing a new era in digital photography.

Working at the
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Greg developed a device for
characterizing surface reflectance functions, called the imaging
goniophotometer, which is now being picked up and improved by
researchers at MIT. Another of his inventions is a high dynamic
range stereo image viewer, whose basic operating principle is behind
a new generation of HDR displays being developed by Dolby Canada
(formerly BrightSide Technologies) in Vancouver.

Although his work has focused on computer graphics and human vision,
Greg has a broader interest in where technology is taking us as a
species and the effects it is having on our planet. Too little
thought is given to where things may lead, and our progression
towards a globe-spanning monoculture makes us highly vulnerable to
diseases of the body, the mind, and even the soul.

Life
is robust
only insofar as life is diverse, and this applies at all levels. A
single species of algae can wipe out an ocean ecosystem, depriving
other organisms of the resources they need to survive. Cancer is
another example of too little diversity demanding too many resources,
and the ideal of bringing a Western style of living to the whole
human population is just as dangerous. What we need is more
diversity, not less.

What does it mean to be human, if
not the
ability to see where we are going and do something about it? Let’s
explore sustainable living, and promote different cultures rather
than beating them down or swallowing them up. The potential is here,
but the reality of peaceful coexistence doesn’t seem to be on the
map. We need a new map, one based on an understanding of who we are
and where we need to go, not what’s the coolest new tech on the
block.

What is the coolest old tech? What tech can we,
and must we
do without? How can we balance human desires and ambitions against
an uncertain future? These are questions we need to ask, or we’ll
find ourselves out of road sooner than we think.

Greg earned his Bachelor of Arts in Physics from the University of
California at Berkeley, CA in 1983 and his
Master of Science in Computer Science from San Francisco State
University, San Francisco, CA in 1985 with his thesis
“UGEDIT, An Interactive 3D Geometric Editor”.